4 Apr 2003 - Spring Term 2003 NEWSLETTERS
Swimbridge Primary School Letter 13/2003
Weekly Newsletter
Friday 4th April 2003
www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
There is a change to the date of our Easter Service, it will be held in the Parish Church on Wednesday 9th April at 9.30am. Parents and friends are welcome to join in.
After the Easter Service, Class 3 will be visiting the Burton Gallery in Bideford. The children will spend the morning looking around the Gallery, and after lunch they will take part in a workshop run by the Gallerys Education Officer. We would appreciate a contribution of £2.50 to cover the cost of materials used in the workshop and the coach fare. Children will need a coat and a packed lunch. We hope to arrive back at school at 3.30pm. Would parents of children in Class 3 please complete and return the attached slip.
On Thursday 10th April, children in Class 2 will be attending a sports skills morning at South Molton Community College. They will return for lunch. All children MUST have P.E. shirt and shorts, trainers or black plimsolls. It is a good idea to send track suit bottoms and spare socks (They will wear school sweatshirts, so you may wish to send a spare in case of rain). There is no charge to parents. Unless we hear to the contrary, we will assume that parents are happy for their children to attend.
Congratulations to these children for completing stamp cards in March
Card 3 Ben Peters, Jade Tallentyre
Card 7 Scott Ackland, Bryony Newnham, Tom Whitton
Card 9 Corena Balment
Card 10 Oliver Morrish
Card 12 Luke Hynes
Card 14 Sarah Spencer
So far we have received 5400 Tesco Computers for Schools vouchers. This offer ends on Sunday, so please could you send your vouchers in to school as soon as possible. Many thanks to all parents and friends who have helped so far.
In our recent Family Groups Competition, Healthy Lifestyle Games, the winners were :
1st Prize Tom Whitton
Chris Shapland
Nathan Singh
2nd Prize Becca Grose
Gemma Hayter
Hayden Eaton
3rd Prize Rachel Hampshire
Matthew Scrace
Tom Floyd
Luke Hynes
Timon Hynes
Natasha Hill
4th Prize Becky Peat
Rachel Lane
Rachel Snell
Bethany Balment
This July, we have places for 30 children to take examinations in speaking and listening. The exams are approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). The school has received funding from the Esme Fairbairn Foundation for 2 years to enter children in Years 2 to 5 for these exams. The Foundation is also paying for trained examiners to visit the school to give staff in service training to help children prepare for the exams. Our school is the only school in Devon to receive full funding for this initiative. Parents of children selected to take part in this scheme will be notified after Easter.
The next P.T.A. meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 6th May at 8pm. Please make every effort to attend. All parents and staff are members of the P.T.A.
School closes for Easter at 3.30 on Friday 11th April.
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Swimbridge Primary School Letter 12/2003
Weekly Newsletter
Friday 28th March 2003
www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Many congratulations to Sarah Spencer for winning the North Devon WH Smith Design a cover for the new Harry Potter Book. Well done also to these children for progress with Bookworms
Gold Award-30 Books Natasha Hill Sarah Spencer Luke Hynes
Silver Award-20 Books Louise Colome
Bronze Award-10 Books James Groombridge, Ellie Mansfield
Scott Ackland, Gemma Hayter
Unfortunately, Alison Hancock is unwell at the moment. Hopefully, she should be back within a few days. Her absence does give me the opportunity to mention again that she is getting married in the Easter holidays. If you would like to contribute to a school wedding present, please send your contribution via any of the other teachers, or direct to Mrs Wadsworth ; obviously, Alison is unaware of this collection.
Sadly, Alison will not be with us from the Autumn term, when the school will be re-organised into three classes. Many of you are aware that, a year or so ago, there was a severe dip in numbers at the pre-school in Swimbridge (which I understand has now improved significantly), and this dip has now moved on to our school. There are currently less Primary children in North Devon, and no new development in the immediate vicinity although some is forecast. Schools are allocated a budget based on the number of children on roll. Over the years our number on roll has altered significantly as the graph below illustrates. Over the years our school has been arranged in 2, 3 or 4 classes depending on numbers on roll.
Our aim is always to provide small classes, and next year our average will be 24/25, a lot smaller than most town schools.
We are fortunate in having an experienced and adaptable teaching staff supported by a very able support staff. In September, the younger class will be taught by Mrs Beechey, Mrs Ferris will be responsible for the middle group, and the older class by myself. All classes will have Learning Support Assistants, especially the younger classes. There is every possibility that the school can be re-structured again as the number of pupils on roll increases. Should you have any concerns about this, please do not hesitate to contact me.
The current extension is financed by a DfEE grant, only available for building works.
We were greatly saddened this week by the news that one of our ex-pupils, Neil Tucker, from Landkey, is missing presumed dead while climbing a mountain in Argentina. Neil would have been 25 yesterday. He had remained in touch with our school (like so many others) and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Last Fridays Indian Dance performance was greatly enjoyed, as this photograph illustrates :
Dates for your diary:
Sports Skills sessions at South Molton Community College for a group of KS1 children (details to follow)
Easter Service in the Parish Church Friday 11th April
Last Day of term - Friday 11th April
A number of parents are interested to use the same computer utilities at home as those the children use at school. These are :
Word processing using Microsoft Word
Spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel
Multi-media presentations using Microsoft Powerpoint
Internet using Internet Explorer with Google as the default search engine.
Our main Art programme is Dazzle, and for data handling, we are about to use Junior Viewpoint.
G D Reed Headteacher
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Letter 11/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 21st March 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Please find attached the latest list of School Term Dates. You will note that the former non-pupil day, Friday 13th June, is now a normal school day. Please also note that the spring half-term holiday in 2004 has been moved back one week in line with the latest County recommendations. I suggest you keep this list safely.
From 28th April 2003, school meals will be £1.35 per day; this represents very good value for money.
We had a successful Comic Relief day, raising £132.00 towards this excellent cause. The Hairdo sweepstake was won by Andrew Dyer.
We recently received an article about Peter Walker, of Devon County Council, which explains the job of Education Welfare Officers and points out the great importance of regular school attendance. This is worth reading.
Today we had the visit of a group of Indian dancers. The children greatly enjoyed this. If you would like to see them, I understand they are performing in Filleigh Village Hall this evening.
There is currently an enormous quantity of un-named and unclaimed lost property. If your childs clothing is un-named we cannot be responsible for it. If you are missing any articles of clothing, please check the lost property box.
Your childs teacher will be happy to arrange an after-school consultation with you should you have any matters of concern, or just wish to find out how he/she is getting on! Please book an appointment.
There may be one or two spaces for guitar tuition next term. Please see Mrs Wadsworth as soon as possible if you are interested. Flute, fife and recorder continue as before.
If your child is in Year 5 or 6, and would like to bring his/her bicycle to school, please ensure that you write a letter to school giving parental permission, and taking responsibility for the child riding to school. Please understand that we cannot be liable for the safety of the bicycle whilst on school premises. Helmets must be worn, and the child must follow the highway code, and not ride the bicycle on the school premises.
Once again we have a vacancy for a school cleaner. If you know someone who may be interested in this job, please let Mrs Wadsworth or myself know.
It seems that head lice are about again. Please check your childs head and, if necessary, treat accordingly.
We are doing very well with our collection of Tesco computers for Schools vouchers. Please keep up the good work, as we still need lots more!!
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 10/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Thursday 13th March 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Our total for Tesco computer vouchers currently stands at 2,500. Many thanks so far, but we need lots more!!!
Tomorrow is Comic Relief Day, and you know that we are holding a non-uniform day. A donation of £1.00 will enable each child to participate and boost our Comic Relief funds. Decisions about coloured hair remain with parents.
If any parents would like to send in buns, biscuits etc, we would like to sell these during morning break, again in aid of Comic Relief. Perhaps your child might like to bring in a small sum of money rather than a snack.
The Red Nose Day sweepstake will be drawn during the morning assembly, and the winner notified during the day.
We support initiatives which encourage children to learn to swim, hence the attached leaflet, which you might like to consider.
G D Reed
Headteacher
****************************************************************************************** Letter 9/2003 Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 7th March 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Next Friday, 14th March is Comic Relief Day. To enter into the spirit, we plan to have a non-uniform day when, £1.00, children can wear their own clothes which should, we hope, include something red. We are not encouraging red hair, but as nationally, this is the theme for the day, it is for parents (not children) to decide. Parents and staff are invited to take part in the Scratch and Match Sweepstake, on the Noticeboard just inside the main entrance to the school. If we sell all 40 guesses, we will make £20.00 for Comic Relief, and the winner will receive the other £20.00.
To raise more funds, we have produced a special Maths Puzzle Book, designed to give parents and children the opportunity to work together on Maths and raise funds for those less fortunate than us. At only £1.00, these are really designed for years 4, 5 and 6 children working with their parents. Please purchase these from the School Office
Parents of Year 6 children might like to consider purchasing a copy of Letts KS2 Success in Mathematics for use at home. These are available from WH Smith at £3.50 and should be very useful.
We always like to keep a stock of clean underwear in Class 1 for use in case of accidents. Unfortunately, we seem to have lost a few pairs, and at the moment have none available. If your child has brought a pair of pants or knickers home with them, please return them as soon as possible.
After Easter, we intend to commence guitar lessons in school, through Devon Youth Music. The cost for these lessons will be £55.00 per term for approximately 12 weekly 30 minute sessions. If you would like to take advantage of these lessons, please return the slip below.
Many thanks to those of you who have sent in Tesco Vouchers for schools. We need 13,000; to date we have 1700. If every parent, Governor and member of staff were to ask 5 others (neighbours, family and friends) we would very soon reach our target.
A date for your diary : Blue Peter Bikeathon on 4th May. Details to follow.
Sadly, it has been brought to our attention that local children, probably of secondary age, have been on the school premises out of school hours. The builders have reported materials being moved and some materials are missing. We are extremely disappointed that last evening the tree, bought to remember our dear friend, Claire Starley, has been broken. You can appreciate the distress and concern this has caused our school community. The school premises is a dangerous place at present, and in future will be locked overnight. We would appreciate your vigilance, and if anyone has any information about children on the premises, please contact the school.
I am sure you wish to congratulate Alison Hancock, who is getting married on 12th April. Next term she will become Mrs Lilly.
G D Reed
Headteacher ********************************************************************************************* Letter 8/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 21st February 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
As you will have seen, building work has commenced and the consequent temporary reorganisation of playgrounds/times seems to be working effectively. You may have gathered that KS1 and KS2 play separately during morning and lunch time breaks to avoid overcrowding.
Attached to this letter is your child(ren)s World Book Day token , please see over for a letter from Terry Pratchett.
On 21st March we will be having the visit of an Indian Dance Group who will be performing and putting on a workshop more details nearer the time.
Dont forget the Pancake Race on Tuesday 4th March, you should already have received a sponsor form.
If you would like to discuss your childs progress with his/her teacher do not hesitate to make an after school appointment.
Dont forget that our school website includes latest news (including weekly newsletters, examples of childrens work, homework help for older children, term dates etc. You are just a click away from : www.swimbridge.ik.org
Your child may be interested in entering the WH Smith Harry Potter book cover competition. A copy is attached, please return to the Barnstaple store.
We close for the half term holiday this evening, and re-open on Monday 3rd March.
Congratulations to these children for completing stamp cards
Card 3 Timon Hynes
Card 4 Jocie Dyer
Card 5 Samuel Heard
Card 6 Luke Dawson
Card 7 Ben Watson, Tom Floyd, Whitney Beer, Madeleine Mansell
Card 8 Bethany Vickery
Card 9 Myles Palmer
Card 10 Michael Partington, Gemma Hayter
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 7/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday February 14th 2003
Dear Parents,
Next Monday work starts on our building project. Details were given last week. As previously mentioned, the cost of this comes primarily from central government funds specifically for new building projects. We have been waiting many, many years for our school to come to the top of the list. The health and safety of our children is our prime objective at this time. If you have any concerns please have a word with me. The large playground will be out of use for the duration. Please leave the lay-by outside free for builders vehicles.
Now that the slightly better weather has arrived we are using our school field a lot more. All children in Classes 2,3 and 4 need suitable footwear for the field not their normal footwear, and not plimsoles (which they need for indoor and playground P.E.). They also need suitable outside games wear for this time of year e.g. tracksuit or similar.
Congratulations to Jade Knill for reading 10 books for Bookworms. Also to Sarah Spencer for winning the Brian Fords colouring competition, and to one parent, Tracey Peat, for correctly answering all of the KS2 Maths SAT questions on the weekly newsletter a fortnight ago.
Thank you to those who have donated childrens videos for wet playtimes. We would also welcome any board games or dressing up clothes you no longer have a need for.
REMINDER :
Half term Monday 24th to Friday 28th Feb
Pancake Race 3.40 Tuesday 4th March
Tesco Computers for Schools vouchers are currently being collected please help
Friday 13th June will now be an ordinary school day, not a non-pupil day.
Has your child mis-laid any clothing? We have a selection of clothes all found this term, without any names. The lost property box is located in the reading bay.
And finally, as this is Valentines day I attach a note passed in a class not at our school:
Dear Jane,
I love you,
Love David
And the reply:
Dear David,
I dont love you,
Love Jane
If you have a pupil in Year 6, and you wish to purchase a Science Revision book at a bargain price, please send £1.50 into the school office, in a named envelope please.
LIGHTQUEST 2003
Can you help Lightquest this year. Please come to any of the following meetings to find out more :
17/2 Assembly Rooms, S. Molton
18/2 Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Barnstaple
20/2 Village Hall, Filleigh
21/2 Jubilee Hall, Swimbridge
********************************************************************************************* Letter 6/2002 Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly Newsletter
Friday February 7th 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
After many ,many years it looks like our improvement to the boys cloakroom and new office extension is about to be built. Work commences on Monday 17th February and continues until mid-May. A floor plan of the office extension is on the other side of this letter. It will provide satisfactory secretarial space, a separate staff room, a disabled toilet, new entrance into school, headteachers room and a covered waiting area for parents. This will enhance our school and its efficiency a great deal. The cost of the project is basically covered by a DfEE grant which is only available for capital building works.
We hope to increase our playground space by extending the tarmac area into the present school garden, shortly after completion of the extension.
Work on the boys cloakroom should be done during the Easter holidays, to avoid unnecessary disruption.
Throughout the period of building work our first priority will be the health and safety of our pupils. The large playground will be out of use (behind a fence) and the exterior door to the boys cloakroom will be out of use.
The children will play in the small, eastern playground, Classes 1 and 2 at one time followed by Classes 3 and 4 ; this should avoid overcrowding. Class 2 may occasionally have some lessons in the Music Room when necessary, but otherwise the day to day work of the school should remain undisrupted. Temporarily, the school office (open 8.45 to 9.30 am and 1.30 to 4.00 pm) will be located upstairs in Room A.
The builders will need unrestricted access to the lay-by outside school, and we ask parents to remember this before and after school.
Maths Club for Year 6 children commences on Friday 14th February 3.35 to 4.15. Parents of Year 6 children should have received a letter about this. We are also arranging English and Science SAT booster classes during school time. Year 6 SATs week runs from 12th to 16th May.
As a school we value our home/school links. Although we have formal parent/teacher interviews in October and June/July, parents are welcome to book an appointment to meet with their childs teacher after school. Please remember that teachers are very busy before school, preparing for the day.
At our recent PTA meeting many plans were made, including :
Pancake Race etc. on Tuesday 9th March
Childrens Disco on Friday 4th April
Cycle Ride/Treasure Hunt/BBQ Sunday 18th May
Summer Fayre 21st June
Recently the PTA have provided a large number of new books and 3 new computers for our school thank you all very much. To provide another P.C., please collect Tesco vouchers!
There is one adjustment to our school calendar. Friday 13th June was due to be a non-pupil day (for a teachers conference). Last term, however, we inserted a non-pupil day so that our staff could join with other schools in our academic council for an important training day. This means that Friday 13th June will now be a normal school day. If you have already booked a weekendaway using this day, please have a word with me.
If you have any videos that you no longer watch, and that would be suitable for our children, we would be very grateful to have them to use on wet playtimes.
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 4/2003 Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 24th January 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
For your information here is a list of our after school and extra-curricular activities. If you wish your child to take part please let me know.
Mondays :
French Club 3.30 to 4.15pm (Year 3-6)
Recorders (Year 3-6) in school time
Tuesdays:
Music Club -flute, brass, percussion and hand chimes
Wednesdays :
Flutes/fife (Year 3-6) in school time
Thursdays :
Brass (Year 3-6 ) in school time
Fridays: Computer Club 3.35-4.15 pm until end January (Year 5/6) From 7TH February Maths Club (3.45-4.15 pm Year 6)
It would be helpful if parents of children who play brass,flute,fife, flute or recorder could ensure that their children's instrument and music are in school on the correct day.
Headlice are once again in the area and can only be eradicated if all parents check their childrens hair and treat accordingly. Further details are attached.
On Thursday 30th January you are invited to our next P.T.A. meeting commencing at 7.30 pm. Please remember that all parents and staff are invited to all meetings.
We are still looking for a school cleaner. If you are interested, or know someone who is, please contact Mr Reed or Mrs Wadsworth. Ideally, we need someone every day between 3.30 and 5.30, but arrangements could be made to just work on certain days.
Don't forget to log on to our school website regularly - you never know what you might find!
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 3/2003 Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 17th January 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Although they are not yet available we are taking orders for videos of Aladdin/12 Days of Christmas. Please complete the order form below and return with your remittance by Wednesday
Can I remind you that all monies sent into school must come in a named envelope. It is unreasonable to expect that staff will remember who gives money in or what it is for unless it comes in an envelope.
We have a large amount of unnamed lost property. Please ensure that your childs clothing is all clearly labelled and coats have a tab to enable them to be hung on a peg.
We have recently had some encouraging comments about the good behaviour of our children from staff from other schools and visitors.
We are currently reminding children of the importance of hygiene (washing hands, toilet cleanliness etc.) Reinforcement at home would be appreciated.
G.D.Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 1/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
www.swimbridge.ik.org
Tuesday 7th January 2003
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the new term. We especially welcome our new intake of children into Class 1, and of course, their parents.
We now have copies of the very special Compact Disc of Aladdin, recorded as an audio play. We are very pleased with the quality of these which act as excellent souvenirs of this performance. They are available from me at £4.99 for the first copy, £2.99 for subsequent copies, but please do be quick as stocks are limited. The recording was made professionally by the Ariel Centre, Ilfracombe. Details of the Aladdin/12 Days of Christmas video to follow shortly.
A few copies of the 2003 School Calendar are also available. All families will find these indispensable, as they include all term and national dates, fascinating quotes from the old log books, childrens pictures, self-portraits and birth dates. They are available at only £2.50
We still have a vacancy for a cleaner at school. If you know of someone in the district who might be interested, please let me know. Ideally, we are looking for someone to work 2 hours per day (3.30pm ? 5.30pm), but we could consider 2 people sharing part of the week each.
There has been a request that guitar tuition be made available in school (in addition to our current brass/fife/flute sessions). If there is sufficient demand this may be possible
If your child has a school meal, and you would like to pay for the half-term in advance, please send a cheque for £45.50, made payable to Devon County Council please. School meals currently cost £1.30 per day, £6.50 per week, and money should be sent in on Mondays please.
As the weather is very cold at the moment, please make sure that your child has sufficient warm clothing for breaktimes and lunchtimes when they are in the playground (e.g. hats, scarves, gloves, and a warm coat) and also for P.E. (tracksuits etc.)
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter2/2003 Swimbridge Primary School
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Friday 11th January 2003
www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
You will already have received one newsletter this week, hence the brevity of this one.
In the unlikely event of seriously bad weather which makes it impossible to open the school, every effort will be made to contact as many parents as possible ? hopefully they will relay the message. We will also post up-to-date information on our website (in the News : Urgent Announcements section) and ask Radio Devon and Lantern FM to announce it. Our school has not been closed for bad weather for around 12 years, but it is good to be prepared.
If during the day we have heavy, (transport-disrupting) snow and we feel we need to close early we will try to contact all parents in advance. Parents are invited to phone in if they think that this is likely. Again, early closure is extremely unlikely.
Next Monday we restart French Club (on Monday at 3.30 pm) School Band (Tuesday at 3.35pm) Fife/flutes on Wednesdays. On Friday 17th January and 24th January from 3.35 ? 4.15pm we will be having our Computer Club, and on the following Friday, 31st January from 3.35 ? 4.15pm we commence Year 6 Maths Club. This is a time for preparing older children for their Maths SATs (in May) enriching the Maths curriculum, hopefully in an enjoyable way. We hope all Year 6 children will take this opportunity each session ; we usually have squash and buns to make this more enjoyable.
Brass tuition continues on Thursdays.
Next Thursday (16th January) Class 4 will be travelling to the Park School for a professional performance of ?The Golden Key? ? a magical play. Unless we hear differently we will assume all parents are happy for their children to attend. A donation of £3.80 to cover performance and travel would be appreciated.
Don?t forget :
1. School Calendars are still available at £2.50
2. Aladdin C.D.s still available at £4.99
3. If you have any concerns/queries about your child at school please book an after school appointment with your child?s teacher.
Unfortunately, there has been a delay in producing the video of Aladdin/12 Days of Christmas. These will be available shortly. In the meantime, perhaps you would like to purchase a C.D. of the play, as mentioned above!
Class 3 will be making sandwiches this term as part of food technology. Please let Mrs Ferris know if your child has any food allergies.
G D Reed
Headteacher
Weekly Newsletter
Friday 4th April 2003
www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
There is a change to the date of our Easter Service, it will be held in the Parish Church on Wednesday 9th April at 9.30am. Parents and friends are welcome to join in.
After the Easter Service, Class 3 will be visiting the Burton Gallery in Bideford. The children will spend the morning looking around the Gallery, and after lunch they will take part in a workshop run by the Gallerys Education Officer. We would appreciate a contribution of £2.50 to cover the cost of materials used in the workshop and the coach fare. Children will need a coat and a packed lunch. We hope to arrive back at school at 3.30pm. Would parents of children in Class 3 please complete and return the attached slip.
On Thursday 10th April, children in Class 2 will be attending a sports skills morning at South Molton Community College. They will return for lunch. All children MUST have P.E. shirt and shorts, trainers or black plimsolls. It is a good idea to send track suit bottoms and spare socks (They will wear school sweatshirts, so you may wish to send a spare in case of rain). There is no charge to parents. Unless we hear to the contrary, we will assume that parents are happy for their children to attend.
Congratulations to these children for completing stamp cards in March
Card 3 Ben Peters, Jade Tallentyre
Card 7 Scott Ackland, Bryony Newnham, Tom Whitton
Card 9 Corena Balment
Card 10 Oliver Morrish
Card 12 Luke Hynes
Card 14 Sarah Spencer
So far we have received 5400 Tesco Computers for Schools vouchers. This offer ends on Sunday, so please could you send your vouchers in to school as soon as possible. Many thanks to all parents and friends who have helped so far.
In our recent Family Groups Competition, Healthy Lifestyle Games, the winners were :
1st Prize Tom Whitton
Chris Shapland
Nathan Singh
2nd Prize Becca Grose
Gemma Hayter
Hayden Eaton
3rd Prize Rachel Hampshire
Matthew Scrace
Tom Floyd
Luke Hynes
Timon Hynes
Natasha Hill
4th Prize Becky Peat
Rachel Lane
Rachel Snell
Bethany Balment
This July, we have places for 30 children to take examinations in speaking and listening. The exams are approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). The school has received funding from the Esme Fairbairn Foundation for 2 years to enter children in Years 2 to 5 for these exams. The Foundation is also paying for trained examiners to visit the school to give staff in service training to help children prepare for the exams. Our school is the only school in Devon to receive full funding for this initiative. Parents of children selected to take part in this scheme will be notified after Easter.
The next P.T.A. meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 6th May at 8pm. Please make every effort to attend. All parents and staff are members of the P.T.A.
School closes for Easter at 3.30 on Friday 11th April.
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Swimbridge Primary School Letter 12/2003
Weekly Newsletter
Friday 28th March 2003
www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Many congratulations to Sarah Spencer for winning the North Devon WH Smith Design a cover for the new Harry Potter Book. Well done also to these children for progress with Bookworms
Gold Award-30 Books Natasha Hill Sarah Spencer Luke Hynes
Silver Award-20 Books Louise Colome
Bronze Award-10 Books James Groombridge, Ellie Mansfield
Scott Ackland, Gemma Hayter
Unfortunately, Alison Hancock is unwell at the moment. Hopefully, she should be back within a few days. Her absence does give me the opportunity to mention again that she is getting married in the Easter holidays. If you would like to contribute to a school wedding present, please send your contribution via any of the other teachers, or direct to Mrs Wadsworth ; obviously, Alison is unaware of this collection.
Sadly, Alison will not be with us from the Autumn term, when the school will be re-organised into three classes. Many of you are aware that, a year or so ago, there was a severe dip in numbers at the pre-school in Swimbridge (which I understand has now improved significantly), and this dip has now moved on to our school. There are currently less Primary children in North Devon, and no new development in the immediate vicinity although some is forecast. Schools are allocated a budget based on the number of children on roll. Over the years our number on roll has altered significantly as the graph below illustrates. Over the years our school has been arranged in 2, 3 or 4 classes depending on numbers on roll.
Our aim is always to provide small classes, and next year our average will be 24/25, a lot smaller than most town schools.
We are fortunate in having an experienced and adaptable teaching staff supported by a very able support staff. In September, the younger class will be taught by Mrs Beechey, Mrs Ferris will be responsible for the middle group, and the older class by myself. All classes will have Learning Support Assistants, especially the younger classes. There is every possibility that the school can be re-structured again as the number of pupils on roll increases. Should you have any concerns about this, please do not hesitate to contact me.
The current extension is financed by a DfEE grant, only available for building works.
We were greatly saddened this week by the news that one of our ex-pupils, Neil Tucker, from Landkey, is missing presumed dead while climbing a mountain in Argentina. Neil would have been 25 yesterday. He had remained in touch with our school (like so many others) and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Last Fridays Indian Dance performance was greatly enjoyed, as this photograph illustrates :
Dates for your diary:
Sports Skills sessions at South Molton Community College for a group of KS1 children (details to follow)
Easter Service in the Parish Church Friday 11th April
Last Day of term - Friday 11th April
A number of parents are interested to use the same computer utilities at home as those the children use at school. These are :
Word processing using Microsoft Word
Spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel
Multi-media presentations using Microsoft Powerpoint
Internet using Internet Explorer with Google as the default search engine.
Our main Art programme is Dazzle, and for data handling, we are about to use Junior Viewpoint.
G D Reed Headteacher
********************************************************************************************
Letter 11/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 21st March 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Please find attached the latest list of School Term Dates. You will note that the former non-pupil day, Friday 13th June, is now a normal school day. Please also note that the spring half-term holiday in 2004 has been moved back one week in line with the latest County recommendations. I suggest you keep this list safely.
From 28th April 2003, school meals will be £1.35 per day; this represents very good value for money.
We had a successful Comic Relief day, raising £132.00 towards this excellent cause. The Hairdo sweepstake was won by Andrew Dyer.
We recently received an article about Peter Walker, of Devon County Council, which explains the job of Education Welfare Officers and points out the great importance of regular school attendance. This is worth reading.
Today we had the visit of a group of Indian dancers. The children greatly enjoyed this. If you would like to see them, I understand they are performing in Filleigh Village Hall this evening.
There is currently an enormous quantity of un-named and unclaimed lost property. If your childs clothing is un-named we cannot be responsible for it. If you are missing any articles of clothing, please check the lost property box.
Your childs teacher will be happy to arrange an after-school consultation with you should you have any matters of concern, or just wish to find out how he/she is getting on! Please book an appointment.
There may be one or two spaces for guitar tuition next term. Please see Mrs Wadsworth as soon as possible if you are interested. Flute, fife and recorder continue as before.
If your child is in Year 5 or 6, and would like to bring his/her bicycle to school, please ensure that you write a letter to school giving parental permission, and taking responsibility for the child riding to school. Please understand that we cannot be liable for the safety of the bicycle whilst on school premises. Helmets must be worn, and the child must follow the highway code, and not ride the bicycle on the school premises.
Once again we have a vacancy for a school cleaner. If you know someone who may be interested in this job, please let Mrs Wadsworth or myself know.
It seems that head lice are about again. Please check your childs head and, if necessary, treat accordingly.
We are doing very well with our collection of Tesco computers for Schools vouchers. Please keep up the good work, as we still need lots more!!
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 10/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Thursday 13th March 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Our total for Tesco computer vouchers currently stands at 2,500. Many thanks so far, but we need lots more!!!
Tomorrow is Comic Relief Day, and you know that we are holding a non-uniform day. A donation of £1.00 will enable each child to participate and boost our Comic Relief funds. Decisions about coloured hair remain with parents.
If any parents would like to send in buns, biscuits etc, we would like to sell these during morning break, again in aid of Comic Relief. Perhaps your child might like to bring in a small sum of money rather than a snack.
The Red Nose Day sweepstake will be drawn during the morning assembly, and the winner notified during the day.
We support initiatives which encourage children to learn to swim, hence the attached leaflet, which you might like to consider.
G D Reed
Headteacher
****************************************************************************************** Letter 9/2003 Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 7th March 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Next Friday, 14th March is Comic Relief Day. To enter into the spirit, we plan to have a non-uniform day when, £1.00, children can wear their own clothes which should, we hope, include something red. We are not encouraging red hair, but as nationally, this is the theme for the day, it is for parents (not children) to decide. Parents and staff are invited to take part in the Scratch and Match Sweepstake, on the Noticeboard just inside the main entrance to the school. If we sell all 40 guesses, we will make £20.00 for Comic Relief, and the winner will receive the other £20.00.
To raise more funds, we have produced a special Maths Puzzle Book, designed to give parents and children the opportunity to work together on Maths and raise funds for those less fortunate than us. At only £1.00, these are really designed for years 4, 5 and 6 children working with their parents. Please purchase these from the School Office
Parents of Year 6 children might like to consider purchasing a copy of Letts KS2 Success in Mathematics for use at home. These are available from WH Smith at £3.50 and should be very useful.
We always like to keep a stock of clean underwear in Class 1 for use in case of accidents. Unfortunately, we seem to have lost a few pairs, and at the moment have none available. If your child has brought a pair of pants or knickers home with them, please return them as soon as possible.
After Easter, we intend to commence guitar lessons in school, through Devon Youth Music. The cost for these lessons will be £55.00 per term for approximately 12 weekly 30 minute sessions. If you would like to take advantage of these lessons, please return the slip below.
Many thanks to those of you who have sent in Tesco Vouchers for schools. We need 13,000; to date we have 1700. If every parent, Governor and member of staff were to ask 5 others (neighbours, family and friends) we would very soon reach our target.
A date for your diary : Blue Peter Bikeathon on 4th May. Details to follow.
Sadly, it has been brought to our attention that local children, probably of secondary age, have been on the school premises out of school hours. The builders have reported materials being moved and some materials are missing. We are extremely disappointed that last evening the tree, bought to remember our dear friend, Claire Starley, has been broken. You can appreciate the distress and concern this has caused our school community. The school premises is a dangerous place at present, and in future will be locked overnight. We would appreciate your vigilance, and if anyone has any information about children on the premises, please contact the school.
I am sure you wish to congratulate Alison Hancock, who is getting married on 12th April. Next term she will become Mrs Lilly.
G D Reed
Headteacher ********************************************************************************************* Letter 8/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 21st February 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
As you will have seen, building work has commenced and the consequent temporary reorganisation of playgrounds/times seems to be working effectively. You may have gathered that KS1 and KS2 play separately during morning and lunch time breaks to avoid overcrowding.
Attached to this letter is your child(ren)s World Book Day token , please see over for a letter from Terry Pratchett.
On 21st March we will be having the visit of an Indian Dance Group who will be performing and putting on a workshop more details nearer the time.
Dont forget the Pancake Race on Tuesday 4th March, you should already have received a sponsor form.
If you would like to discuss your childs progress with his/her teacher do not hesitate to make an after school appointment.
Dont forget that our school website includes latest news (including weekly newsletters, examples of childrens work, homework help for older children, term dates etc. You are just a click away from : www.swimbridge.ik.org
Your child may be interested in entering the WH Smith Harry Potter book cover competition. A copy is attached, please return to the Barnstaple store.
We close for the half term holiday this evening, and re-open on Monday 3rd March.
Congratulations to these children for completing stamp cards
Card 3 Timon Hynes
Card 4 Jocie Dyer
Card 5 Samuel Heard
Card 6 Luke Dawson
Card 7 Ben Watson, Tom Floyd, Whitney Beer, Madeleine Mansell
Card 8 Bethany Vickery
Card 9 Myles Palmer
Card 10 Michael Partington, Gemma Hayter
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 7/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday February 14th 2003
Dear Parents,
Next Monday work starts on our building project. Details were given last week. As previously mentioned, the cost of this comes primarily from central government funds specifically for new building projects. We have been waiting many, many years for our school to come to the top of the list. The health and safety of our children is our prime objective at this time. If you have any concerns please have a word with me. The large playground will be out of use for the duration. Please leave the lay-by outside free for builders vehicles.
Now that the slightly better weather has arrived we are using our school field a lot more. All children in Classes 2,3 and 4 need suitable footwear for the field not their normal footwear, and not plimsoles (which they need for indoor and playground P.E.). They also need suitable outside games wear for this time of year e.g. tracksuit or similar.
Congratulations to Jade Knill for reading 10 books for Bookworms. Also to Sarah Spencer for winning the Brian Fords colouring competition, and to one parent, Tracey Peat, for correctly answering all of the KS2 Maths SAT questions on the weekly newsletter a fortnight ago.
Thank you to those who have donated childrens videos for wet playtimes. We would also welcome any board games or dressing up clothes you no longer have a need for.
REMINDER :
Half term Monday 24th to Friday 28th Feb
Pancake Race 3.40 Tuesday 4th March
Tesco Computers for Schools vouchers are currently being collected please help
Friday 13th June will now be an ordinary school day, not a non-pupil day.
Has your child mis-laid any clothing? We have a selection of clothes all found this term, without any names. The lost property box is located in the reading bay.
And finally, as this is Valentines day I attach a note passed in a class not at our school:
Dear Jane,
I love you,
Love David
And the reply:
Dear David,
I dont love you,
Love Jane
If you have a pupil in Year 6, and you wish to purchase a Science Revision book at a bargain price, please send £1.50 into the school office, in a named envelope please.
LIGHTQUEST 2003
Can you help Lightquest this year. Please come to any of the following meetings to find out more :
17/2 Assembly Rooms, S. Molton
18/2 Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Barnstaple
20/2 Village Hall, Filleigh
21/2 Jubilee Hall, Swimbridge
********************************************************************************************* Letter 6/2002 Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly Newsletter
Friday February 7th 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
After many ,many years it looks like our improvement to the boys cloakroom and new office extension is about to be built. Work commences on Monday 17th February and continues until mid-May. A floor plan of the office extension is on the other side of this letter. It will provide satisfactory secretarial space, a separate staff room, a disabled toilet, new entrance into school, headteachers room and a covered waiting area for parents. This will enhance our school and its efficiency a great deal. The cost of the project is basically covered by a DfEE grant which is only available for capital building works.
We hope to increase our playground space by extending the tarmac area into the present school garden, shortly after completion of the extension.
Work on the boys cloakroom should be done during the Easter holidays, to avoid unnecessary disruption.
Throughout the period of building work our first priority will be the health and safety of our pupils. The large playground will be out of use (behind a fence) and the exterior door to the boys cloakroom will be out of use.
The children will play in the small, eastern playground, Classes 1 and 2 at one time followed by Classes 3 and 4 ; this should avoid overcrowding. Class 2 may occasionally have some lessons in the Music Room when necessary, but otherwise the day to day work of the school should remain undisrupted. Temporarily, the school office (open 8.45 to 9.30 am and 1.30 to 4.00 pm) will be located upstairs in Room A.
The builders will need unrestricted access to the lay-by outside school, and we ask parents to remember this before and after school.
Maths Club for Year 6 children commences on Friday 14th February 3.35 to 4.15. Parents of Year 6 children should have received a letter about this. We are also arranging English and Science SAT booster classes during school time. Year 6 SATs week runs from 12th to 16th May.
As a school we value our home/school links. Although we have formal parent/teacher interviews in October and June/July, parents are welcome to book an appointment to meet with their childs teacher after school. Please remember that teachers are very busy before school, preparing for the day.
At our recent PTA meeting many plans were made, including :
Pancake Race etc. on Tuesday 9th March
Childrens Disco on Friday 4th April
Cycle Ride/Treasure Hunt/BBQ Sunday 18th May
Summer Fayre 21st June
Recently the PTA have provided a large number of new books and 3 new computers for our school thank you all very much. To provide another P.C., please collect Tesco vouchers!
There is one adjustment to our school calendar. Friday 13th June was due to be a non-pupil day (for a teachers conference). Last term, however, we inserted a non-pupil day so that our staff could join with other schools in our academic council for an important training day. This means that Friday 13th June will now be a normal school day. If you have already booked a weekendaway using this day, please have a word with me.
If you have any videos that you no longer watch, and that would be suitable for our children, we would be very grateful to have them to use on wet playtimes.
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 4/2003 Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 24th January 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
For your information here is a list of our after school and extra-curricular activities. If you wish your child to take part please let me know.
Mondays :
French Club 3.30 to 4.15pm (Year 3-6)
Recorders (Year 3-6) in school time
Tuesdays:
Music Club -flute, brass, percussion and hand chimes
Wednesdays :
Flutes/fife (Year 3-6) in school time
Thursdays :
Brass (Year 3-6 ) in school time
Fridays: Computer Club 3.35-4.15 pm until end January (Year 5/6) From 7TH February Maths Club (3.45-4.15 pm Year 6)
It would be helpful if parents of children who play brass,flute,fife, flute or recorder could ensure that their children's instrument and music are in school on the correct day.
Headlice are once again in the area and can only be eradicated if all parents check their childrens hair and treat accordingly. Further details are attached.
On Thursday 30th January you are invited to our next P.T.A. meeting commencing at 7.30 pm. Please remember that all parents and staff are invited to all meetings.
We are still looking for a school cleaner. If you are interested, or know someone who is, please contact Mr Reed or Mrs Wadsworth. Ideally, we need someone every day between 3.30 and 5.30, but arrangements could be made to just work on certain days.
Don't forget to log on to our school website regularly - you never know what you might find!
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 3/2003 Swimbridge Primary School
Weekly NEWSLETTER
Friday 17th January 2003 www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
Although they are not yet available we are taking orders for videos of Aladdin/12 Days of Christmas. Please complete the order form below and return with your remittance by Wednesday
Can I remind you that all monies sent into school must come in a named envelope. It is unreasonable to expect that staff will remember who gives money in or what it is for unless it comes in an envelope.
We have a large amount of unnamed lost property. Please ensure that your childs clothing is all clearly labelled and coats have a tab to enable them to be hung on a peg.
We have recently had some encouraging comments about the good behaviour of our children from staff from other schools and visitors.
We are currently reminding children of the importance of hygiene (washing hands, toilet cleanliness etc.) Reinforcement at home would be appreciated.
G.D.Reed
Headteacher
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Letter 1/2003
Swimbridge Primary School
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
www.swimbridge.ik.org
Tuesday 7th January 2003
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the new term. We especially welcome our new intake of children into Class 1, and of course, their parents.
We now have copies of the very special Compact Disc of Aladdin, recorded as an audio play. We are very pleased with the quality of these which act as excellent souvenirs of this performance. They are available from me at £4.99 for the first copy, £2.99 for subsequent copies, but please do be quick as stocks are limited. The recording was made professionally by the Ariel Centre, Ilfracombe. Details of the Aladdin/12 Days of Christmas video to follow shortly.
A few copies of the 2003 School Calendar are also available. All families will find these indispensable, as they include all term and national dates, fascinating quotes from the old log books, childrens pictures, self-portraits and birth dates. They are available at only £2.50
We still have a vacancy for a cleaner at school. If you know of someone in the district who might be interested, please let me know. Ideally, we are looking for someone to work 2 hours per day (3.30pm ? 5.30pm), but we could consider 2 people sharing part of the week each.
There has been a request that guitar tuition be made available in school (in addition to our current brass/fife/flute sessions). If there is sufficient demand this may be possible
If your child has a school meal, and you would like to pay for the half-term in advance, please send a cheque for £45.50, made payable to Devon County Council please. School meals currently cost £1.30 per day, £6.50 per week, and money should be sent in on Mondays please.
As the weather is very cold at the moment, please make sure that your child has sufficient warm clothing for breaktimes and lunchtimes when they are in the playground (e.g. hats, scarves, gloves, and a warm coat) and also for P.E. (tracksuits etc.)
G D Reed
Headteacher
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Letter2/2003 Swimbridge Primary School
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Friday 11th January 2003
www.swimbridge.ik.org
Dear Parents,
You will already have received one newsletter this week, hence the brevity of this one.
In the unlikely event of seriously bad weather which makes it impossible to open the school, every effort will be made to contact as many parents as possible ? hopefully they will relay the message. We will also post up-to-date information on our website (in the News : Urgent Announcements section) and ask Radio Devon and Lantern FM to announce it. Our school has not been closed for bad weather for around 12 years, but it is good to be prepared.
If during the day we have heavy, (transport-disrupting) snow and we feel we need to close early we will try to contact all parents in advance. Parents are invited to phone in if they think that this is likely. Again, early closure is extremely unlikely.
Next Monday we restart French Club (on Monday at 3.30 pm) School Band (Tuesday at 3.35pm) Fife/flutes on Wednesdays. On Friday 17th January and 24th January from 3.35 ? 4.15pm we will be having our Computer Club, and on the following Friday, 31st January from 3.35 ? 4.15pm we commence Year 6 Maths Club. This is a time for preparing older children for their Maths SATs (in May) enriching the Maths curriculum, hopefully in an enjoyable way. We hope all Year 6 children will take this opportunity each session ; we usually have squash and buns to make this more enjoyable.
Brass tuition continues on Thursdays.
Next Thursday (16th January) Class 4 will be travelling to the Park School for a professional performance of ?The Golden Key? ? a magical play. Unless we hear differently we will assume all parents are happy for their children to attend. A donation of £3.80 to cover performance and travel would be appreciated.
Don?t forget :
1. School Calendars are still available at £2.50
2. Aladdin C.D.s still available at £4.99
3. If you have any concerns/queries about your child at school please book an after school appointment with your child?s teacher.
Unfortunately, there has been a delay in producing the video of Aladdin/12 Days of Christmas. These will be available shortly. In the meantime, perhaps you would like to purchase a C.D. of the play, as mentioned above!
Class 3 will be making sandwiches this term as part of food technology. Please let Mrs Ferris know if your child has any food allergies.
G D Reed
Headteacher